Zoho founder likens Big Tech to British East India Company
Zoho's Sridhar Vembu stirred up conversation by comparing Big Tech companies to the British East India Company, saying they're now "bigger than most sovereign nations."
His comments came in response to a post that compared Alphabet's $32 billion raise in a single day with India's slower pace of raising a similar amount.
Vembu's critique of tech giants
Vembu has long criticized tech giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI for what he sees as extracting value from India: using local talent and data but charging high prices for their products.
He argues that while Indian engineers power Silicon Valley, the country still relies on expensive imports for key tech—like NVIDIA chips—which limits local growth.
Is Vembu's comparison valid?
Online reactions have been mixed. Some agree with Vembu, pointing out that Big Tech's revenues are bigger than many countries' economies.
Others feel the comparison is off, saying today's tech firms focus more on solving problems than just extracting value.